Snow Days
by NameForsaken
Summary: Before Weiss became a cold-hearted heiress, she was just a naïve little girl, and she and her sister were practically inseparable. Schnee AU.
1. Before the Storm

**A/N: This is the beginning of a Schnee AU that my friend Slayer_ONE and I have been working on for quite some time, now, and we hope to continue if well-received. Please review and enjoy!**

The sun's late-afternoon rays leaked in through a large, revealing bay window and lit up the spacious, two-person bedroom as quiet sounds of chatter filled the serene atmosphere. A little, white-haired girl of barely eight years of age laid sprawled on her stomach in the middle of the carpeted floor, humming contently to herself as she neatly scribbled inside the lines of a bubbly, cartoon snowman. Every so often, she stopped to pick up a new crayon, and gave the gray, slightly-worn teddy bear beside her a firm squeeze before she returned to the coloring book in front of her.

"Just a little more blue here... and done!" the girl exclaimed as she pushed herself up to her knees, and glanced across the room at her big sister. "Hey, Winter! What do you think?"

"And then he—" The older Schnee lowered her Scroll from her ear, and turned to her sister with a smile. "One moment, Violet."

Winter set the device face-up on her bed, and walked over to the little girl in the center of the room. She picked up the coloring book, and gave the drawing a critical eye as a grin painted her face.

"I think it belongs in a museum!" she told her sister with a knowing wink. "Or wherever you put priceless art like this. I'll have to pay the artist a lot of lien... I mean, they have so much talent! Do you know where I can find the artist so I can recommend them for such fine artwork?"

The younger girl giggled at Winter's assessment. "Do you think Father will like it? I want to hang it on the refrigerator."

"I'm sure he'll love it, Weissy." She passed the coloring book back to her sister, and was just about to lower herself to the carpet when a muffled voice sounded from her Scroll on the bed. She quickly walked back over to answer it. "One second, Violet. I'm talking with my sister."

Weiss furrowed her eyebrows. "It's okay, you can go back to talking to her, now. I just wanted your opinion..." She glanced down at her teddy bear with a shrug. "Mr. Slate didn't really have much to say."

Winter laughed. "Well maybe he was just having trouble making up his mind?"

"No, he doesn't like the way I color... It's probably the only thing we don't agree on." The smaller Schnee gave her bear an uncertain look before smiling back up at her sister. "But I'm glad you like it. I can always count on your word."

Her sister smirked. "Thank you, Weissy. I'm glad you hold me in such high regard."

"I'm holding you?" Weiss asked, confused.

To this, Winter just laughed once more. "It means you trust my opinion. I learned some new words in school today."

She grinned down at her sister until Violet's voice erupted from the Scroll again.

"Well, keep up the great work, Weissy. I'm sure with more practice, you'll become an even greater artist. I must now consult with my council—that's fancy talk for 'I'm going to speak with my friends.'"

She pressed her Scroll to her ear once more, and resumed her conversation with her best friend.

"So yeah, he _totally_ walked up to me and acted like I was just another kid... What? No, I didn't fire him! ….No, his dad smacked him upside the head... Well, I _guess_ that's what common people talk to each other like..."

Weiss went back to her coloring as Winter chatted away on her Scroll, and after a few moments, a knock sounded from the other side of the bedroom door. Weiss looked up at her sister to see if she would answer it, but when Winter made no further movements, Weiss lifted herself to her feet, and walked over to the door. She opened it, and smiled up at the tall, formally-dressed Wolf Faunus.

"Hello, Frank," she said.

He returned her smile. "Misses. Your father requests both of your presences in the dining room for dinner."

"I have to go, Violet," Winter said to her friend as she made eye-contact with the Faunus. "I'll talk to you later." She hung up her Scroll, and set it on her bed before running over to Frank, greeting him with a curtsy. "Good evening, Frank."

He returned the gesture with a bow, a smile still present on his face. "Good evening, Miss Schnee the Eldest." He cleared his throat. "Formalities aside, it is time for dinner, and you have a... guest waiting for you at the table."

Winter knitted her eyebrows together in curiosity. "A guest?"

"Indeed. I think it's best if you two meet her properly. Your father invited her personally to dine with you all tonight, so be on your best behavior, girls."

The older Schnee's smile slowly faded. "Why wouldn't we be?"

Frank frowned, however slightly. "Well, your father's guest isn't exactly the most... cooperative of people. Though I'm sure you two will be perfectly fine at dinner. Best be going, now."

"Wait!" Weiss shouted, running back to the center of the room to collect her bear. She carried him back over to the door where her sister and Frank were standing, and she followed them down the stairs to the dining room where they found their father discussing business with a pale blonde who appeared to be around the same age as Mr. Schnee.

Frank backed out of the dining room before either of the adults could acknowledge his presence, and Weiss started to walk toward her father with a smile.

"Father!"

Instead of holding his arms out for a hug like he usually did, however, the older man simply stood from his chair, and gave Weiss a curt nod. "Good evening, girls. I would like you to meet a... business partner of mine. I expect you to show her the same respect you would show any other member of the Schnee Dust Company."

Winter looked over at the chair where the woman was already sitting, and she frowned. She gave the woman a quick curtsy before taking her seat in her usual spot. "Good evening, Madam." She then nodded over at her father. "I'm dreadfully sorry for your busy day, father."

"Good evening to you as well. My name is Edith," the woman said, a hint of confusion in her voice. "And forgive me, but why do you think your father has had a busy day?"

Winter shrugged. "Well, it's quite obvious because he hasn't realized that you're in the wrong seat." Her tone was sincere and devoid of hostility, honestly believing her father to have made a mistake.

"Am I now?" Edith looked over at Mr. Schnee, eyebrow quirked.

"Yes you are," the elder daughter continued, pointing at a chair at the end of the table opposite Mr. Schnee. "Business partners sit at the foot of the table."

"And why do you say that?"

Winter furrowed her eyebrows at the woman's stubbornness. "Because that's what father said when I asked him. _All_ of his business partners sit at the end of the table."

"I... see..." Edith stood from her spot, and Winter beamed up at her, thinking her actions to be helpful as the woman made her way to the end of the table and took her rightful seat.

Mr. Schnee gave his daughter a hardened look before turning around in his own chair, an expression Weiss had never seen the man direct toward a family member until now. She hugged her bear tighter to her chest as she walked over to the table and took her own seat, between her father and their guest.

"I don't believe I caught your name, sweetheart," the woman said to Weiss, and the younger girl just blinked up at her for a moment before giving her a short nod.

"My name is Weiss." She gave her a timid smile before holding out her bear in front of the woman. "And this is Mr. Slate."

Edith frowned at the stuffed animal. "Do you... bring that thing to dinner every night?"

Weiss instantly felt herself deflate at the word _"__thing"_, and she sunk back in her chair. "I... Yes, ma'am."

The woman raised an eyebrow before straightening her back, and forcing a smile. "Well, then."

Winter mimicked the hardened expression on her father's face, but directed it at Edith, not particularly fond of the tone she'd just used with her little sister. The woman impatiently tapped her long fingernails against the table's surface.

"Well, then, where are your servants? It's dinner time, isn't that correct?"

Mr. Schnee nodded. "Yes. They will be here shortly."

A thick silence filled the room until their food arrived a few moments later, each of the Schnees thanking their servers as plates were set before them. Edith, however, remained stagnant as the servants left the room, and she looked down at her food.

"Is everything alright?" Mr. Schnee asked his guest, his tone noticeably softer than before.

"Perfect, thank you," she responded simply before digging into her meal.

He cut into his smoked turkey breast, and gave the woman a kind smile as he took a bite of his dinner. Weiss just pushed her food around with her fork, nibbling every now and then at her turkey, but leaving her peas and mashed potatoes untouched.

"Weiss, eat your vegetables," her father told her. "And please don't slouch."

The smaller girl sat up straight, and scowled at the tiny, green vegetables. She stabbed a pea with her fork, and ate it grudgingly. _He didn't even ask me how my day was..._

"Well, I'm glad you've gotten respite from your work today," Winter said to her father after a few moments of stiff silence. "So, Weissy. How is—"

"Winter," Mr. Schnee interrupted, giving her a sharp nod. "Can we please have silence? It is time to eat, not talk."

The older girl frowned, but she didn't protest as she ate her dinner. Once Weiss finished at least half of her peas, she braved a look at her sister. Winter didn't make eye contact with anyone as she hurriedly finished her food, though, and Weiss sighed as she squeezed Mr. Slate with her right hand. After everyone had finished their meals—or, at least half-finished—another servant stepped into the room to clear the table, and Edith turned her attention to Weiss.

"I couldn't help but notice you were holding your utensils with your left hand."

Weiss nodded. "I'm left-handed."

The woman's expression was unreadable. "Well, that's certainly interesting. You appear to be the only one who is so."

"My Daddy was left-handed," Weiss stated without first thinking about her words.

"I see..." Edith's curious tone was quickly replaced with a more stern one. "Well, it's certainly a very... _unique_ quality."

Weiss simply shrugged. "I don't think about it much... unless I'm working on an assignment in class and one of the students next to me bumps my elbow." She gave Edith a half-smile. "But I guess it makes me special, since everyone else in the class uses their right hand."

"I see. And how are your grades in school?" she asked the young Schnee, eager to change the subject.

"Weiss is at the top of her class, as is Winter in hers," Mr. Schnee answered for his daughters.

She gave the man a smile of approval, the first smile any of them had seen all throughout dinner. "Very impressive... So, Winter, correct?"

Winter lifted her royal blue gaze to the woman's maroon. "Yes, ma'am."

"Am I right that you are the heiress to the company?"

"You are correct, ma'am."

Edith smiled, seemingly impressed by Winter's formal and polite responses. "Well, Mr. Schnee, I must say that your heiress is a very lovely lady. Her manners are astounding."

A grin spread across the older man's face. "Well, she is a Schnee. We _are_ the finest of them all."

Weiss practically gagged at the over-zealousness in his voice, but she drowned out the two adults as she picked up her bear, and turned him to face her. _I hope dessert comes soon... I want to go back upstairs and play._

"Yes, thank you, Miss..." Winter trailed off, suddenly remembering she hadn't caught the woman's last name.

The woman nodded. "You can just call me Edith."

"Oh... Well, thank you, Edith."

Dessert was brought out a few minutes later, and several small slices of cake were placed in front of each occupied seat. Both girls' faces lit up at the sight of the sweet, tasty treat, and Winter grinned as she scooped up a piece with fork, and began to dig in. Her smile faded a moment later, however, whenever she realized the dessert was anything _but_ sweet.

Weiss furrowed her eyebrows at her sister's expression before she took a bite of her own cake. She almost spit it back out when the dry, flavorless crumbs assaulted her tongue, but knowing that would be rude, she forced herself to finish at least the first slice before turning to look at her father.

"Um, Father?"

Mr. Schnee nodded at his youngest daughter. "Yes, Weiss?"

She let out a hesitant hum. "I... I'm full. May I please be excused?"

The older man just frowned. "You hardly touched your dinner, and now you've barely eaten dessert. Are you feeling well?"

She shook her head, hoping that if she admitted to feeling under the weather, it would get her out of that awkward meeting.

Her father sighed, and turned his attention toward his eldest daughter. "Winter, will you escort your sister upstairs and see that she gets ready for bed?"

"But it's only—" Weiss began to protest, but her father quickly cut her off.

"If you're not feeling well, you need to rest. Is that understood?"

She nodded slowly, and stood from her chair. "Good night, Father..."

"Good night."

Weiss picked up her bear, and turned to Edith before leaving the table. "Good night. It was nice to meet you." She walked toward the exit, and waited for Winter to join her.

The older Schnee stood, and curtsied before Edith. "It was a pleasure meeting you." She made her way over to Weiss, and offered her a hand, which Weiss gladly accepted. "Come on, Weissy. Time to get you ready for bed."

Winter and Weiss walked down the hall, and once they were sure they were out of earshot, Winter smiled down at her sister. "Well... That was certainly an interesting dinner."

Weiss just frowned. "Why was Father acting like that? He usually isn't like that toward us, even during business dinners..."

"I don't know, but thankfully, it's not going to be a common occurrence." She sighed. "I mean, Father rarely brings business partners back multiple nights in a row. Also, I hope she doesn't get what she's trying to get out of him. She's not that nice of a person."

"She called Mr. Slate a _thing_..." They started back up the stairs as Weiss held her teddy bear out in front of her again. "Don't listen to that mean lady, buddy... You're not a _thing_, you're a friend."

Winter gave her a knowing smile. "Not only that, but he's pretty much part of the family, right? I mean, he comes with us practically everywhere we go, and you do talk to him a lot."

Weiss returned her smile. "Yeah." When they finally made it up to their room, Weiss walked over to her bed, and plopped down on her back. She wasn't even tired, but she knew that her father would come to check on her soon to make sure that she kept her promise.

"Weissy, aren't you forgetting something?"

The smaller Schnee looked up at her sister, and groaned when she saw her holding out a fresh nightgown. She got up from her bed, and grabbed the pajamas from Winter before disappearing into the bathroom across the hall to change and brush her teeth. She walked back over to her bed, and crawled underneath the sheets.

"Will you at least keep me company?" she asked her sister. "I know you said you'd call your friend back, but..."

"It's fine, Weiss. I'll call Violet back tomorrow. You're my sister." She smiled. "So what do you want to do?"

"I'm supposed to be going to bed..." She let out an exasperated sigh. "Could you tell me a story?"

Winter grinned. "Of course, Weissy. Just let me get changed real quick."

She hurried to her dresser and culled out her own nightgown, rushing to the bathroom to change. Once finished, she went back to their shared bedroom, and climbed into bed with Weiss.

Her sister beamed up at her. "That was fast!"

"Yep. So, are you ready for your story?" Weiss nodded as she pulled her blanket tightly around herself and Mr. Slate, holding him close as Winter began her tale. "Once upon a time..."

And so Winter told Weiss an adventure filled with princesses, monsters, and heroes. The evil witch was the newest villain in tonight's story as good and evil battled for victory. At points it seemed the witch would win, but in the end the heroes won.

"...And so the princess defeated the evil witch, and banished her from the entire kingdom! And after that, she and her prince lived happily ever after."

"That was a—" the smaller girl let out a squeaky yawn, "—nice story. Can you tell it again?"

Winter gave her a soft smile as Weiss's eyes began to flutter closed. "Maybe tomorrow night, Weissy. Right now, it's time for bed." She placed a kiss on Weiss's forehead before getting comfortable underneath the blankets, the younger girl quickly drifting off to sleep beside her. Just as Winter was about to surrender to sleep herself, the sound of the bedroom door opening kept her awake.

Her father stood in the doorway, his expression hidden in the dark of the room. "Winter?"

"Yes, father?" she asked, lifting her head from the pillow she shared with Weiss.

"I'm very proud of you and your sister tonight. I thought that I should inform you that Edith will be coming for dinner again this weekend."

Winter frowned, glad that her father could not see her face. When she did not speak up, her father called out once again.

"Winter?"

"I... see... Good night, Father." The pale girl lowered her head back to the pillow, and turned her back toward her father, hoping he would take the hint and leave her in peace.

"Good night, Winter." He shut the door behind him on his way out, Winter holding her breath until she could no longer hear the man's footsteps down the hall. She released it as soon as she knew he was gone, and snuggled close to her sister, the only solace to her growing worry that Edith would somehow find a way to worm her way into the Schnees' perfect little lives. After a while, Winter could not fight her exhaustion anymore, and she slowly fell hostage to a deep, comfortable sleep.


	2. Snow Angels

The next morning, Weiss awoke with a smile. She lightly nudged her sister's shoulder as she bounced up and down in excited anticipation.

"Winter! Wake up!" she exclaimed.

Winter let out a tired groan, and slowly opened her eyes. "I'm up, I'm up." She gave the younger girl a small smile. "Good morning, Weissy. You're not usually a morning person, so what's changed?"

"It's SNOWING!" The smaller Schnee gestured toward the window where flakes of snow were falling from the sky.

"Weiss, it _always_ snows here…." Winter pointed out.

Weiss shrugged. "Yeah, but today it's like it's snowing for me." she explained, her sister chuckling at the little girl's simple logic.

"Well then, we better get dressed so we can hurry to school and play in the snow," Winter told her.

The younger girl pouted. "Awww... Can't we ever just have a day off to play in the snow? What's that called? Oh! A snow day!"

Winter shook her head. "Weiss, I don't think there's ever been a snow day in Atlas. Maybe in the other kingdoms, but not here."

"Awww... Fine. But when I'm older I'm going to a school where if there's snow then all the kids get to play outside instead of going to school." Weiss said in determination.

"Okay, Little Sister. Go use the bathroom and I'll get your uniform ready," Winter said in response to her sister's childish statement.

Weiss nodded, and quickly jumped out of bed. "Okay, Winter."

With that, the two set about their day to get ready for school. Soon, they were dressed and had their bags packed with books and supplies for the day ahead. They then went downstairs to sit with their father at the breakfast table, Mr. Slate at Weiss's side, as usual. Breakfast had yet to be brought out when their father turned to address his youngest child.

"Weiss."

"Yes, Father?" Weiss said with a questioning look.

The Elder Schnee smiled. "I wanted to apologize for being a little harsh last night. "

Weiss gave him an uncertain shrug. "It's okay, you weren't really..."

"But I did forget something." He stood up, and walked over to where Weiss was sitting, outstretching his arms expectantly. Weiss grinned, and stood up on the seat of her chair so she was almost as tall as her father. She readily leaned into his embrace. "And how was your day yesterday?" he asked.

The little girl smiled up at her father. "School was fine... Mr. Slate and I colored you a picture! I didn't get to show it to you, though..." she finished with a small frown.

"Well, then, you'll just have to show me when you get home today." Her father smiled. "How does that sound?"

Weiss nodded happily. "Okay!"

He pulled away from her, and Weiss sat back down just as breakfast was brought out to the table. Father returned to his seat, and began to cut into his large mound of freshly-baked pancakes. "You two make sure you wear hats and scarves when you go out today," he told his daughters between bites. "It's going to be snowing all afternoon."

"We'll be sure to do so, Father," Winter promised. After breakfast, Weiss and Winter hurried back to their rooms for their scarves and hats. When ready, the Schnee limo took the children to their private school where they learned many things throughout the day. Classes passed without incident, and soon the two girls were headed back to the limo, the snow flittering down around them.

"It's snowing!" Weiss giggled as the flurry surrounded them, clinging to her clothes and to Mr. Slate.

"That it is, Weissy," Winter said with a smile. "Hey, let's go home and change out of these uniforms. Then we can play in the snow."

Weiss nodded excitedly as she climbed into the family limo. The girls headed home, and changed out of their uniforms, and hanging their snow-soaked school shoes to dry by the heater. They dressed warmly in boots and snowsuits, and headed to the kitchen for a snack before they went outside. When they made it to the kitchen, they found Frank and his thirteen-year-old son, just a year older than Winter, going over some history notes by the table. Weiss headed to the pantry to start digging around for snacks while Winter walked over to the two Faunus.

"Good afternoon, girls. How was your day?" Frank asked the two children.

"Uneventful, as always," Weiss said as she tried to grab a box of graham crackers that was too high for her to reach in one of the cupboards. Weiss set Mr. Slate on the counter before lifting herself up to the counter top, and once again trying to reach for her snack. "Where's Father?"

"He had some business at Headquarters to finish up. He should be home within the hour... Are you two heading out?" Frank asked as he took in her outdoor attire.

"Indeed," Winter replied with a nod. "Weissy and I were about to go play in the snow."

"I see. Well—" Frank turned his attention to his son. "—would it be alright if Jim here played with you? He's been working hard on his studies most of the day, and I was considering letting him go out and enjoy the snow."

"Sure, it'll be more fun with more people," Winter answered, smiling at the Faunus boy.

Jim's face lit up with joy at Winter's words. "Sweet! Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Miss Schnee."

"You can just call me Winter," the older Schnee instructed. "_All_ of my friends do."

The boy's smile widened, if that was even possible. "Thanks, Winter! Hang on, I need to get my snow clothes on." He got out of his chair and hurried down the halls, Winter giggling at his excitement.

"Thank you, Miss Schnee," Frank told Winter with a grateful smile.

"Like I said, it's more fun with other kids."

"Winter! I can't reach the snacks!" Weiss whined as she still had yet to grab the treats.

Winter merely smiled at her sister. "Can you get those crackers for her, Frank? If Weissy can't get them, I doubt I can."

"That I can." The man stood and reached for the box of graham crackers on the top shelf of the pantry, grasping them with each. Once the crackers were placed on the counter, he picked Weiss up, and lowered her to the ground just as Jim skidded into the room.

"Sweet! I'm not too late!" he cheered, overjoyed to see he wasn't left behind by his new friends.

"Jim... Your boots are on the wrong feet," Frank told his son with a small smile. Jim blushed before he sat down and switched his footwear around.

"Er... Thanks, Dad," the boy mumbled before he sat back in his chair at the small table. The three children proceeded to eat their snacks before they headed out into the cold snow.

"Look, Mr. Slate! It's snow!" Weiss exclaimed as she hugged her stuffed bear to her chest.

"Yes it is, Weissy," Winter said as she watched her sister tread in the winter wonderland.

"So... what should we do? Make a snowman, make snow angels, make—" Jim was cut off by a snowball that hit him in the face.

"Snowball fight!" Winter declared as she scooped up another handful of snow.

"Yay!" Weiss exclaimed as she ran over to her older sister. Winter and Weiss began to build a small snow fort while Jim regained his senses, caught off-guard by the surprise attack. He quickly made his way to a snow drift and began making his own fort, only to get bombarded by snowballs as he built it, Weiss forming snowballs while Winter threw the ammunition.

"Ack! Winter is coming! It's a blizzard!" Jim called out as he was buried in snow. Winter giggled at the sight, a lone snow boot stuck out of a pile of snow. Soon he popped his head out of the snow, the white powder falling from his hat as he shook his head. "I surrender," he pleaded from his white, powdery grave.

"Ha! We show no mercy!" Weiss shouted as she raised Mr. Slate in a sign of war, the stuffed animal slightly slouched over as he was held by his legs.

"If you want a surrender then we shall discuss your terms over hot chocolate later," Winter negotiated despite her sister's demands.

"Awww... But Winter! No mercy!" Weiss pouted at the older girl.

"Yes, but I have to be a fair general in this war," Winter explained.

Weiss paused and looked at her bear before saying, "...Mr. Slate thinks that you get into your role _way_ too much..."

"Well, Mr. Slate... You're completely right." Winter grinned. "Now it's time for celebratory snow angels!" She fell backwards into the white powder and started making a snow angel.

"But I don't _like_ snow angels. They get my clothes and Mr. Slate all soggy," Weiss complained to her sister.

"Okay, then I'll make one for you!" Winter got up before falling back down in a different direction, as she made an angel for her sister. Jim laughed at the action.

"That's awesome, Winter," he complimented.

Winter smiled. "Come on, give it a try Jim!" she called out to him.

Weiss rolled her eyes before she grabbed a snowball and tossed it onto her sister's head.

"Gack! Betrayed by my own sister!" Winter proclaimed as she sputtered out snow.

"Mr. Slate said you need to relax and cool down," Weiss explained as she pulled the bear close to her chest. Winter's only reply was silence as she looked at her sister. Jim laughed at the sight before Winter threw a snowball at him.

"Gah! Retreat!" he shouted, running back to his measly fort as he was assaulted by more snow, the two sisters once again working together to bring about his burial.

By the time a Schnee Company limo pulled into the long driveway an hour later, Weiss, Winter, and Jim were soaked from head to toe in snow. Weiss sat atop her sister's shoulders as she added a carrot that Frank had brought out to them earlier to create the finishing touches on the snowman they had begun to build after the sisters had become tired of constantly beating Jim in their snowball fights.

Jim shivered as Mr. Schnee stepped out of the limo, and smiled at the three children. "Hey, do you think we can head inside soon? My fur's starting to freeze," he asked as he slowly waved his wet, snow-covered tail in the cold air.

"Just a minute... and there! Finished!" Weiss grinned up at the smiling snowman, and Winter lowered the little girl from her shoulders. Weiss started to turn back toward the house, and as soon as she saw her father standing in the driveway, she started running to him, her teddy bear bouncing in her outstretched arms. "Father! You're home!"

Mr. Schnee grinned, and pulled Weiss into a hug, not caring that she was getting his suit wet. "Hello, sweetheart. Did you have a good day today?" he asked her with a warm smile.

"Yeah! Winter, Jim, and I had a snowball fight, and made snow angels, and built a snowman!" she said with an enormous smile, causing the man to laugh.

"I can see that... How about we head inside and get some hot cocoa? Your friend's looking a little cold." He offered his hand to Weiss, who graciously took it with her right as she held Mr. Slate in her left.

"M—my name's Jim, S-sir," Jim said as he held out his hand shakily. "I-I'm Frank's s-son."

Mr. Schnee shook Jim's hand firmly. "It's nice to meet you, Jim. Our house is your house."

"Err... th-thank you, Sir. Can... can we have th-that hot chocolate n-now?" the boy asked tentatively.

"Of course," the man said before he ushered the children inside, and they took off their wet boots and coats while Frank fixed them some hot chocolate on the stove. Mr. Schnee arrived in the kitchenette a few minutes later, now changed out of his suit and into casual slacks and a sweater, a thick quilt draped over his right arm. He handed it to Jim. "This should help warm you up a bit."

"Thank you, Sir," he said as he took the quilt and covered up. Jim then picked up his mug of hot chocolate and sipped at it contently.

"Thank you, Father," Winter told him as she nursed her own drink.

"It's no problem at all." Schnee turned to Frank with a smile. "Thank you for looking after my girls while I was at work. Truth be told, I thought that meeting would never end."

"Is everything alright with the company?" Frank asked worriedly.

Schnee only nodded in return. "Oh, yes, everything is fine. It just seems as though getting used to my new partner's views may take a little longer than I thought."

Frank raised an eyebrow. "Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

"Go right ahead," Mr. Schnee said.

The Faunus cleared his throat. "Right, then. If you and your partner have differing views, then why do you keep her around?" he asked.

Mr. Schnee frowned, however slightly. "Well, I'm afraid it's not as simple as that... She has been quite helpful in my more... _personal_ affairs, and I believe that if she sticks around long enough, I may be able to open her mind a bit. And perhaps she may have some useful insight that I'm simply overlooking... Only time will tell."

Frank just nodded, not saying anymore as he sat at the table next to his son, and sipped at his own hot cocoa.

"Oh, what's going on with the company, Father?" Winter asked excitedly, hoping to be included in the discussion.

Mr. Schnee turned to Winter, and gave her a soft smile. "It's nothing you should be concerned about, sweetheart. Just getting to know my business partner a little better."

"Oh, you got a new business partner? When do we get to meet him or her?"

Her father raised an eyebrow. "You just met her last night, Winter. At dinner," he said, causing Winter's excitement to quickly dissipate.

"Oh..." Winter solemnly returned to her chocolate. _So he DIDN'T fire her?_ she thought to herself with a small scowl.

Weiss lifted her head at her Father's words. "So you mean she's going to keep coming back?" she asked dishearteningly, to which he smiled, either not noticing or ignoring his daughters' blatant dislike.

"Of course, wouldn't that be great?" Schnee asked only for Weiss to frown.

"I don't think she likes me very much..." his daughter muttered as she remembered the disaster from the night before.

"How could anyone not like you? You're the most adorable little girl in the kingdom of Atlas." Her father grinned as he took a seat next to Weiss. "Don't you want to give her at least one more chance?"

Weiss just clutched a still-damp Mr. Slate to her chest. "If that's what you want, Father..." she said sadly, wanting to make sure he was happy.

He gave her a quick hug. "Good girl... Now, how about when you're finished with your cocoa, you show me that picture you worked so hard on yesterday?"

_Edith would probably agree with Mr. Slate about Weiss's artistic ability..._ Winter thought solemnly as she frowned into her chocolatey beverage.

"Okay..." Weiss said with a small frown.

"Great," their father said as she took a sip of his own cocoa.

"Well, come on, Father!" Weiss called out as she started to walk away.

"Weiss, you should let me wash and dry off Mr. Slate so he stays clean," Winter said as Weiss started to walk off with the soggy teddy.

Weiss nodded and handed her sister the bear. "Just be careful," she whispered.

"I promise that Mr. Slate won't be harmed. I'll attend to his washing myself." Winter smiled at Weiss as she and their father walked out the door. "Frank? How do I wash a teddy bear?" Winter immediately asked once they were out of earshot, not knowing how to do such a thing.

"Well... you handle it with care, for one." The man smiled as he walked Winter through the steps of how to properly wash a teddy bear, the small girl following each of his instructions. Soon Mr. Slate was being gently and safely washed.

* * *

Weiss and her father headed upstairs to the girls' bedroom, and Weiss dug through her toys and books until she found the coloring book she was looking for. She opened to the page of the snowman she was working on the day before. She grinned as she showed it to her father.

He smiled proudly at her work. "It looks wonderful, Weiss."

She beamed up at him. "Can we hang it on the fridge?"

He let out a thoughtful hum. "How about... we hang it in my office? That way, I can look at it when I'm doing my work," he suggested, knowing the fridge wouldn't be a good place to put the drawing if Edith were to somehow stumble upon it.

"Okay." Weiss nodded happily.

* * *

"So what now?" Winter asked Frank as she looked into the washing machine.

"Now you wait for it to finish," he told her.

"Oh... that's boring..." Winter said with a small frown.

"Yes, it can be quite boring." Frank chuckled lightly. "How about you talk with Jim while you wait? I'll tell you when it's finished washing so you can put Mr. Slate in the dryer."

"Okay, thanks Frank." Winter skipped over to Jim, still covered in the quilt and scrunching his face at the papers in front of him. "Hi, Jim."

"Hey, Blizzard," he said, turning to her with a grin. Winter looked at him in confusion and Jim's smile fell. "I... It's a nickname... you know, because you threw all that snow and stuff... I'll stop if you—"

Winter grinned and interrupted him. "No, it's fine. I've never had a nickname before." Jim brightened at the realization that he wasn't being reprimanded by his new friend. "So what are you doing?"

"Homework," he answered with a groan.

"What type of homework?"

"It's history. I mean, how am I supposed to know when the first Dust quarry was founded in Atlas?"

"Hmm... it was forty-seven years before the first Dust-powered machine... Wait, do they mean first mine or first mechanical quarry?" Winter questioned for clarification.

"What? There's a difference?!"

"Well, yes. With the mine, crystals have to be dug out by hand while the quarry is created by man-powered mechanics, though nowadays they're powered by Dust."

"How do you know this?" Jim asked in amazement.

"I'm a Schnee," Winter answered proudly. "Also, we already learned this in my school."

Jim nodded as Winter sat down to help him with his homework, the two reading through his text book and finishing his assignment together.


End file.
